Snap’s Specs Smart Glasses Raise Privacy Questions as AI Service Launches

Snap representatives said the Specs smart glasses “don’t record to understand the world,” adding that the glasses do not use facial recognition to identify people. WIRED discovered code in Meta’s app earlier this year indicating that the company was experimenting with facial recognition features for its smart glasses, although Meta has since removed the code.

Snap Wants to Make Computing More Human

Snap is also entering the AI chatbot market. At its event, the company announced a new AI service called Specs Intelligence. Released today, the app works on iPhone, Mac, and Specs Glasses. A pair of glasses is not required to use it.

Snap describes Specs Intelligence as “predictive AI.” The service collects information about a person’s daily life and attempts to anticipate what they may want to do. Like AI chatbots that connect to a calendar, email, or location, it can help users find hotels, plan travel, and answer questions.

Snap says the AI service organizes information into “corners,” including work, family, and goals. The AI “builds your goals, priorities, relationships, and routines from the apps and tools you choose to connect with.” Creating a detailed picture of a user’s life could require the collection of a significant amount of personal data.

How to Try Snap’s Specs Glasses

Starting October 1, people can try the glasses before buying them by attending a Specs first-look demo at the Westfield Century City Shopping Center in Los Angeles.

Are Snap’s Smart Glasses Practical?

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel regularly promotes the idea of “making computing more human,” but questions remain about what using the Specs glasses will actually be like. Snap wants the device to be a social gadget that allows people to play games together, yet buying one pair costs more than buying PlayStation 5 consoles for three friends.

The company also wants people to wear the glasses during sports, but the device is large and heavy. Whether it will be comfortable remains unclear. It is also difficult to know how the glasses would stay in place while someone looks down at a soccer ball.

Ultimately, people who want to wear the glasses will have to decide for themselves whether the design, functionality, and data collection are worth it.